National Rankings

For 2017, U.S. News & World Report rates Wisconsin Lutheran College as one of the Top 20 Colleges in the Midwest. Schools in this category focus almost entirely on the undergraduate experience and offer a broad range of programs in the liberal arts and in fields such as business, nursing, and education.

Forbes.com includes Wisconsin Lutheran College on its 2016 list of America's Top Colleges, compiled by Forbes and the Center for College Affordability and Productivity (CCAP). The CCAP ranks 650 undergraduate institutions, focusing on student satisfaction, graduation rates, career success, and student debt. 

In 2016, Wisconsin Lutheran College is ranked 83rd in the nation by Washington Monthly in the category of National Universities-Bachelor's. The list rates schools based on three categories: social mobility, research, and service.

WLC also is listed by Washington Monthly as a Best Bang for Your Buck in the Midwest. This ranking lists schools where students can attain marketable degrees at affordable prices. 

Wisconsin Lutheran College is included in the list of Best Colleges for Your Money 2017, published by MONEY Magazine. WLC is the highest-ranked private college in the state of Wisconsin. More than 700 school were included in the rankings, which combine educational quality, affordability, and alumni success.

Wisconsin Lutheran College has been named a "College of Distinction" and a "Christian College of Distinction" for 2016-2017.

Colleges of Distinction is a college guide with a unique approach. Instead of looking for the richest or the most famous schools, they ask: Which colleges are the best places to learn, to grow, and to succeed.

Wisconsin Lutheran College is ranked 50th in the nation in the 2017 outcome-based ETC College Rankings Index, produced by the nonprofit Educate to Career, and is listed as a 2017 Top 100 Best Value College. The list was developed to enable students to identify schools that provide a quality education with proven career placement records at the lowest possible cost.

Wisconsin Lutheran College is included in the first-ever Wall Street Journal/Times Higher Education College Rankings, released in September 2016. The WSJ/THE College Rankings is a pioneering ranking of U.S. colleges and universities that focuses on student success and learning.

Among other things, the ranking values schools that focus their spending on classroom instruction, and rewards both teaching and research excellence. It also places an emphasis on student outcomes. Fourteen performance indicators were used to answer the questions that matter the most when choosing a college, such as:

• Does the school have sufficient resources to teach me properly and have a good academic reputation?
• Will I be engaged and challenged by my teacher and classmates?
• What type of campus community is there? 
• How likely am I to graduate and get a good job?
  
  

College Factual included Wisconsin Lutheran College on its 2017 list of Best Colleges for the Money. According to College Factual, WLC ranks in the Top 100 in the nation among colleges that deliver a great education compared to their cost. A total of 1,208 schools were included on this list.

Business Insider included Wisconsin Lutheran College on its 2016 list of America's 610 Smartest Colleges. According to Business Insider, the methodology used the schools' reported SAT and ACT scores for first-year, degree-seeking students.

In 2015, Wisconsin Lutheran College was named a Best Value School in the state of Wisconsin. The ranking was created using National Center for Education Statistics' College Navigator and PayScale data to identify the schools based on graduation rate, net price, acceptance rate and a 20-year net return on investment.

Wisconsin Lutheran College ranked tenth in the state and fourth among private colleges. Best Value Schools helps students find schools and degree programs that can provide the most available financial aid and assistance, the greatest support and service, the highest return on investment, and the best overall value.

Wisconsin Lutheran College is ranked 13th in the nation on the BestColleges.com list of Best Online Bachelor's in Business Administration. WLC's Adult Accelerated Program enables students to earn a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Management and Leadership by taking classes online or on campus.

Using statistics compiled for Forbes' top-college rankings, CBS MoneyWatch released its "25 Colleges with the Best Professors" list in 2013. WLC ranks 12th out of 650 schools evaluated and is the only Wisconsin school to appear in the top 25.

Top-scoring schools were largely liberal arts colleges, including WLC, which can be attributed to small class sizes and individualized attention from professors whose primary focus is teaching. The complete article by education writer Lynn O'Shaughnessy is available here.

Young America's Foundation lists institutions that offer a conservative experience for students. Wisconsin Lutheran College is included on the foundation's list of  Top Conservative Colleges. The list features institutions that proclaim, through their mission and programs, a dedication to discovering, maintaining, and strengthening the conservative values of their students.

Wisconsin Lutheran College also was named to Newsmax's list of  40 Best Colleges for Conservative Values.

In 2012, Wisconsin Lutheran College was ranked among the top 25 homeschool-friendly colleges in the nation by TheBestSchools.org. The site identified three key features that meet the needs of a homeschool graduate: Christian education, socio-political conservatism, and science and faith integration.

According to TheBestSchools.org: "Prioritizing leadership, ministry, and one-on-one mentoring by professors, Wisconsin Lutheran College is more than a school, it's a leadership garden. Outstanding at this school is the faculty mentoring, allowing students significant face time with their professors."